When I began working at The Daily Campus, I was surprised by the intricacy and organization of our newspaper. Our editors take their jobs very seriously, planning out stories and assigning reporters to planned events, at times dropping everything to follow a developing story.
The night before you read our paper, SMU students burn the midnight oil to write, layout and print the articles. Spencer Eggars, our photo editor, spends his time between classes taking photos of everything from food to lectures to news stories to complement articles. Later, he painstakingly edits and cuts out certain pictures for the printed paper. Meanwhile, assignments desk editor Tashika Varma arranges day to day stories for our network of student reporters.
News editor Rafin Faruk and managing editor Chase Wade keep up with stories as they develop and provide a coherent direction for each day’s paper.
I recently heard criticism of The Daily Campus for being poorly written and uninteresting, and this wasn’t the first time I’ve heard such remarks. In truth, some of the students who criticize our paper can probably count the number of times they read The Daily Campus on one hand. However, I will admit that our publications have occasional typos and writing that varies in quality.
But the fact is that our writers and editors are full time students who devote countless hours to the paper. Varma estimates that she spends 15 to 20 hours a week in the newsroom. In addition, Varma is an intern for a movie studio where she helps with public relations and promotions and she is the president of SMU’s Public Relations Society of America. Many of our writers are volunteers, and all of them are also students. It can be tricky to write articles and keep up with events as they happen while balancing a full schedule.
After the initial layout of the paper, copy editors arrive to carefully read through every submission. They look for formatting issues, spelling and grammar mistakes and misstated facts, all late at night. The Daily Campus’s editor in chief Sarah Kramer says she is lucky to leave the office before midnight. She has also interned at The Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Observer, and she is the managing editor of GenWhy Press. Meanwhile, she is a senior majoring in journalism and art history.
Our editors have a wide range of majors and interests. Shelby Foster, our style editor, is highly involved in fashion clubs and interned with a personal stylist. I am a music major, but I value the opinion page as platform for students to voice their opinions and concerns. News editor Rafin Faruk is a triple major in mathematics, economics and public policy, with a minor in Arabic and religious studies.
Some of us want to go into journalism in the future, but a few of us have different career aspirations. Regardless of our majors, I think it is safe to say that none of us work at the paper for the money. We write because we value journalism. Still, if you are dissatisfied with the paper, why not contribute? Apply to be a staff writer for one of the sections, work as a copy editor to find those hated mistakes, or write something for the opinion page.
Our editors take pride in their work, and they like to hear from you. Email the editors and writers at The Daily Campus, respond to the articles, and get involved with your paper. We aren’t perfect, but in my opinion, we certainly adhere to a high standard of journalism for journalism’s sake.
Paul is the Opinion Editor. He is a junior majoring in voice performance.
